There are videos on YouTube, countless photos and a plethora of memories stored in the minds of everyone who was at Wembley that day.
Monday 31 May 1999 marked Watford’s first win at Wembley Stadium, taking them into the Premier League.
Here we share the stats and run of play that Oliver Phillips wrote that afternoon…
Nationwide League Division One play-off final
Monday May 31, 1999
Wembley Stadium
Watford (1) 2 Bolton (0) 0
Wright 37, Smart 87
Watford: Chamberlain; Bazeley, Palmer, Page, Robinson; Hyde, Johnson, Kennedy; Wright, Ngonge, Mooney. Substitutes: Smart for Ngonge after 74 minutes; Hazan for Wright after 86 minutes; Day not used.
Bolton Wanderers: Banks; Cox, Elliott, Frandsen, Todd, Fish, Johansen, Jensen, Gudjohnsen, Taylor, Gardner. Substitutes: Sellars for Johansen after 65 minutes; Bergsson and Hansen not used.
Watford’s men of the match: Sky gave it to Nick Wright, but Micah Hyde also put in a strong case, but Monday was more about a team, heart and determination than individuals.
Conditions: Perfect; warm, but not hot; no wind and the grass not too lush.
Presence: 70,343 (Watford contingent: 39,401). There were five arrests: three for drunk and disorderly conduct and two for trespassing.
Referee: Terry Heilbron (Newton Aycliffe). Handled the match well, but in the face of some challenges from Frandsen and Elliott, Hyde was unlucky to be one of only two players booked.
Entertainment value: Good quality entertainment, full of raw nerves and passion and some moments of fluid and sharp football.
Clear opportunities: Watford 4 (Kennedy, Mooney, Smart, Johnson) Bolton 2 (Gudjohnsen 2).
Share of the game: Watford 50%.
Assists: No; Smart Hyde Kennedy
Free kicks – total (offside): Watford 18 (1), Wanderers 24 (6)
Corners: Watford 7 Wanderers 6
Goal attempts – on-target (off-target): Watford 7 (6), Wanderers 9 (8)
Watford’s goal attempts over: Mooney 5, Ngonge 2, Wright 2, Smart 2, Johnson 1, Kennedy 1.
Deserved result: A Watford win.
Bookings: Hyde for a foul on Frandsen (56); Elliott for a foul on Wright (63).
The goals: (37) Kennedy’s right corner was headed out by Todd and Wright turned from his position at the far post, moved out and launched himself into the air to complete a right-footed scissor kick that shoots straight to the roof of the ball just on the other upright. (87) When Sellars, veteran of Watford’s only other previous play-off setback, battled for a loose ball, he lost to Smart’s booming challenge in midfield, allowing Hyde to gather and feed Kennedy. The Ulsterman accelerated forward and then whipped an inch-perfect pass into the path of Smart, who met him with a sweet first-time strike with the outside of his right foot, sending it into the net.
Pronunciation: Watford weathered their early wobbles, were relieved that Bolton had not scored and then took control. From the moment they took the lead the only fear was fear itself as Watford had bottled the game only for Smart to push the cork home.
Bolton Wanderers started the smoother of the two sides, forcing two early corners and Taylor gave Chamberlain an early touch as he headed in a shot, which the keeper dropped to collect.
Watford’s first attempt was an angled shot on the flight of Mooney, who fell behind.
The first half chance belonged to Bolton. Watford’s defense looked to be caught when Gudjohnsen went through the middle. Robinson covered well, but the ball went to Johansen, who drove it back, just past Chamberlain’s far post, with Robinson closing on the ball and denying him a view of goal.
Five minutes later, Kennedy struck from a free kick towards the near post, where Mooney only needed a tap-in. The ball might have grazed his head as he jumped and it bounced back off Banks, but slightly behind Palmer and Ngonge.
There was a brief moment of concern for the Hornets when Gudjohnsen fired a shot that deflected Page’s heel and forced Chamberlain to readjust to gather.
Bolton should have taken the lead when Gardner hit a long diagonal ball for Gudjohnsen to clear. Bringing the ball down, Robinson ran across and missed the attempted clearance, but as Chamberlain came out the forward stretched and smashed the ball just inches wide of the upright.
Wright, who pounced and dispossessed Todd, broke forward and pushed the ball to Ngonge, but his touch gave Elliott enough time to get across and produce an inspired blocking tackle to prevent Banks from being beaten or tested.
On the half hour, Bolton were ahead on points when a free-kick hit the Watford wall and fell into the path of Gudjohnsen. He controlled and then fired a shot to Chamberlain’s right, but the keeper excelled by sliding wide.
Chamberlain made another good save, this time with his other hand, to convert a fierce free-kick, but the kick had to be retaken.
While Bolton led the way in terms of penetration, Watford began to reduce possession and caused the Wanderers defense some problems through set pieces.
And it was from such a situation, a Kennedy corner, that the Hornets took the lead after 37 minutes.
There were a few shots from Bolton and Banks had to intervene quickly to thwart Ngonge, but half time arrived with no further clear chances and the Hornets in control.
Ten minutes into the second half, in which Bolton appeared to have some semblance of rhythm, Watford had another chance.
Mooney, breaking down the left, whipped a low cross into the middle where Johnson just missed his connection and as Ngonge arced to hammer the ball towards goal, a recovering tackle from a Bolton defender forced the ball to deflect and into to send a loop over the ball. bar.
In the 65th minute Watford created another good chance.
This time Hyde broke off the right and crossed deep. Mooney, coming in behind the leaping Ngonge, met the ball with a downward header, his effort bouncing fractionally wide of the post.
Watford now threatened to put the match beyond Bolton’s reach.
Mooney collected a pass from Wright and then hit a low cross shot that accelerated past Banks and just avoided the sliding Wright at the far post.
Frandsen scored a good shot from some distance, but Chamberlain was behind it again.
However, there was a real scare when on another attack, under pressure from the advancing Chamberlain, Gudjohnsen managed to steer the bouncing ball wide of him, but Page was able to send it out for a goal-kick as it rolled wide of the ball. after.
Gudjohnsen fired in another shot, but again Chamberlain claimed it with a routine save.
Watford still threatened to counter-attack while Bolton, with a hint of desperation and no conviction, pressed forward.
When Smart finished the game, not only the fat lady but all the Watford fans could sing.